Paper Crane
by x-dreams-of-muse-x
Summary: Shintaro Kisaragi is known to be a genius.Due to his intelligence,he tends to be self-centered thus people tend to dislike him.He goes by an easy yet arid life and always thought about life apathetically. Ayano Tateyama is everyone's big sister. She's kind though isn't smart. One day they have to do a project can they put up with each other? Spin-off of Lies and Secrets.
1. Chapter 1

**Paper Crane: Glances**

The warmth from the sun filled the classroom. Every middle school student in the room were as lively as ever, talking to their hearts content with their friends, or simply walking around just to let time fly by. Unlike everyone else, one student didn't bother to do any of those things. He simply sat in his seat, with earbuds plugged in his ears, a small book in his hands, an IPod blasting music through his earbuds, and a bored expression on his face. He never bothered to socialize. He just spends his time reading and ignoring everyone.

Meanwhile one student was the opposite. She always socialized with others. She always has a cheerful expression present on her face and always wearing her signature red scarf. No one knew why she always wore a scarf though they never bothered to ask. She always helped those in need. Though she isn't the brightest student meanwhile he was the brightest student.

"Hey Ayano, can you help me with something?"

The girl looked at the speaker and flashed her signature smile. "Of course."

He glanced at her as she tried her best to help the student with their studies but only scratched her head and laughed nervously.

"I-I know that you're supposed to do this but..." Her sentence trailed off as she scribbled on a sheet of paper but instantly erased it. "Ah I'm sorry. I guess I can't help you."

"Don't worry about it."

He rolled his eyes and looked away. "What an idiot." He muttered though no one heard him.

She glanced at him. Her brown eyes gazed at the silent boy. He gave off an aura that told everyone to "back off" and his gaze was outside the window, at the clouds in the blue sky. He twirled the cord of the earbuds between his fingers. He was never interested in anyone though she admired his cool attitude and intelligence.

The teacher walked in and heaved a sigh. "Alright everyone get to your seats."

Everyone hurried to their seats after the teacher spoke. Ayano sat at the other side of the classroom, away from him. She glanced at him one more time and quickly looked away when he glanced at her direction. She stared at her hands and fiddled with her fingers as her cheeks grew a light shade of pink from embarrassment. He scoffed and looked away.

The teacher held a stack of papers. "Alright I have your test scores." He announced and everyone grew nervous except for him.

The teacher walked down the path, giving out the test with their scores. He stopped at his desk and handed him his test. "As usual you have a perfect score, Shintaro." The teacher smiled and walked away. As usual everyone envied him. Meanwhile Ayano was only silently congratulating him. Though this wasn't new.

The teacher stopped at Ayano's desk and gave her the test. "Try harder next time, Ayano. Or else I'll have to talk to your father again." Ayano nodded and gazed at her test score.

"56% once again." She sighed. "Father won't be proud of this." She muttered. Her father was a science teacher and he wasn't hard on her but always tries to help her with her studies.

"An idiot as usual." Shintaro muttered as he looked at Ayano who was too busying doing what she usually does to her test paper to cheer up.

Ayano managed a smile as she cut the paper and folded it. "Nothing is better than this." She giggled. Once she was finished, she smiled in satisfaction and admired her work. A paper crane sat on her desk. Its wing had 56% written on it in bright red. She gazed at the origami.

Shintaro simply stared at his test score. "100% as usual." He sighed. "They just make it too easy." He folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

"That is all for today. Class dismiss." The teacher waved his hand as everyone quickly gathered their stuff and exited.

Ayano was gathering her things slowly as she wanted to stay behind. Shintaro always left once everyone else did. The teacher glanced at Shintaro. "You could just be proud of yourself for scoring a perfect score."

Shintaro shrugged. "What's the point when I'll always be scoring that." He sighed. "I'll be right back." He walked out the room and Ayano watched him. Once he exited the room, the teacher sighed.

"Ayano you should try harder next time."

"I did try this time though." Ayano whined a bit.

"Well then try harder or else I'll have another metting with your father and you'll end up having to take summer lessons." The teacher gathered his stuff. "You should go now before it gets late. Goodbye."

"Goodbye sensei." Ayano waved at him and he left. She glanced at Shintaro's desk. It was empty and on the hook was his school bag. She glanced at the doorway and saw no one approaching. "Maybe this'll cheer him up." She mumbled with a smile.

Shintaro returned to the classroom only to find it empty. He didn't mind though. He walked to his desk and found something new and unusual. On his desk was a paper crane with a 56% on its wing. Next to it was a note.

"Congratulations on your test score!"

He scoffed and grabbed the note, crumbling it in his hand. "Its obviously that idiot." He tossed the now crumbled note into the trash bin and gazed at the paper crane. It was perfectly folded. Obviously it's creator was a master at making paper cranes. "This is just trash to me." He muttered and took the paper crane and threw it away without any hesitation.

Ayano was hiding by the doorway and watched him. She bit her lip nervously, wondering if he'll accept the gift or ignore it. He simply threw it all away. It hurt her but she couldn't do anything about it. She sighed and walked away.

She tugged on the end of her scarf as she walked towards the direction of her home. The sunset made the sky orange and the air was cool. "What a beautiful sunset." She smiled a bit and sighed. She thought about what had happened when Shintaro saw her present. She flinched as she remembered his words.

"It's obviously that idiot."

"This is just trash to me."

His words were like an arrow, piercing her. The way he spoke about her was harsh. She was aware of the fact that she wasn't so smart but she didn't like him saying mean comments about it. Though she couldn't do anything at all. All she could do was nothing.

"One day...he'll think differently about me." She said determinedly.

This was the beginning of their story.

A/N: While I was writing chapter 10 of Lies and Secrets I remembered about Safe Haven and how I made it a spin-off of Lies and Secrets and that it was Seto and Mary's side of the story and then I thought about Shintaro and Ayano and I thought "hey I could make a side story about Shintaro and Ayano!" and that's how this story was created! Haha. Well I hope you enjoyed this! Please look forward to what this story has in store! Kagerou Project/Mekakucity Actors is all owned by Jin!


	2. Chapter 2

**Paper Crane: Assignment**

It was the time when teachers decide to change the seating assignments until their satisfied. Everyone in the classroom stood at the back, waiting for their new assigned seat. Many of the students were practically begging for the seat at the back next to the window but the one who had been assigned to sit there was the one and only Ayano Tateyama. Her hair had grown slightly longer but other than that her appearance was the same. She sat at her assigned seat and gave an apologetic smile to those who were upset for not siting at the seat.

"Shintaro Kisaragi," the teacher called out.

Shintaro sighed and looked at the teacher with an expressionless face. "Yes?"

"Sit next to Ms. Tateyama. She could use someone like you to aid her whenever she struggles," the teacher pointed at the seat next to Ayano.

Ayano fiddled with her fingers hearing the teacher's words. She was embarrassed and nervous. She had always been struggling with school due to her low intelligence and had to take summer lessons a few times just to move on to the next grade level. Ayano didn't think that Shintaro would have to sit next to her just because she struggles with school. Though now he was siting next to her.

After everyone was seated at their new seats, the teacher began speaking.

"I will be handing out your scores for the test that you took last week," the teacher announced and grabbed a stack of papers. As usual everyone grew nervous. Ayano was anxious. The teacher walked down the rows, handing out the test scores and saying a few comments. He sighed as he gave Ayano her test score. "Work harder next time, Ms. Tateyama."

Ayano sighed as she stared at her test score. The usual 56% was tattooed on the top corner of the page in bold red. She heard Shintaro scoff. "Idiot," he muttered.

Ayano took a deep breath. She was always nice to people despite hero mean they were. She smiled sheepishly at him. "I'm stupid so it can't be helped," she laughed a bit.

Shintaro raised an eyebrow at her then scoffed and looked away. "Whatever."

The teacher handed Shintaro his test score and smiled. "Good work, Mr. Kisaragi."

Shintaro gazed at his test score and sighed. "They make it so easy. Such a boring world," he muttered.

Ayano bit her bottom lip and took out a pair of scissors. She started cutting the paper and folding it and once she was finished she looked at him while holding her masterpiece. "Well I wouldn't say that. The world is full of exciting things! You just have to look for it!" She smiled as she held the paper crane that she had created.

Shintaro looked at her and sighed. "And what makes you say that?"

"Well all because everything seems easy doesn't mean that it's boring. There's many things to see. Many things to experience," Ayano smiled at him. "Not everything is easy and not everything is boring and tasteless."

"Whatever. Why am I even listening to an idiot?" Shintaro looked away and sighed.

As usual, Ayano was a bit hurt she didn't let it get to her. She sighed and placed the paper crane on his desk. "Think about it."

Shintaro stared at the paper crane without any emotion. He sighed and looked at the teacher who lectured about the lesson. "Why am I even here?" He muttered.

Ayano was listening and taking notes. Even if she's always failing her exams, she also tried her best and studied as much as she could. Her hand moved her black pen as she wrote down notes. Eventually the teacher paused so Ayano stopped writing. She messaged her hand and sighed.

"I'll be assigning projects," the teacher announced. Everyone groaned. "I'll also be assigning partners."

"No!"

"That sucks."

"I don't want to be stuck with a loser."

Many of the students groaned and complained.

As the teacher assigned partners and explained what they'll be doing, Ayano sat in her seat nervously. She didn't want to trouble whoever her partner was going to be. Her low intelligence can be quite frustrating. Ayano knew that because he father would sigh loudly whenever he'd get frustrated whenever she didn't understand what he was trying to teach no matter how many times he explained it. The teacher looked at Ayano and then looked at Shintaro.

"Mr. Kisaragi, I need you to be partners with Ayano due to her low intelligence and your high intelligence. Help her out," the teacher explained.

Shintaro sighed. "Now I'm stuck with you."

Ayano looked at him and sighed. "I'll...I'll work as hard as I can! I'll even do most of the work!" She spoke determinedly.

"Whatever just don't mess up," Shintaro brushed her off.

Ayano released a sigh. "You know, you could be nice?"

Shintaro shrugged. "I could but that doesn't mean I will. Why should I be nice to an idiot?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah um..." Ayano went silent. She wanted to insult him but her nice nature told her not to. She only held her chin up high and smiled. "Well I am stupid so it can't be helped," she repeated.

"You already said that," Shintaro stated.

"I know. I'm just repeating myself," Ayano sighed once again.

"Listen while we work on this stupid project, I want you to work your ass off and understand it. I'll only help you when you're completely clueless, okay?" Shintaro spoke firmly.

Ayano nervously nodded. "Yes sir."

"Just don't hold me back," Shibtaro warned.

Ayano nervously nodded once again. "I won't."

"When do you want to work on it?" Shintaro asked and sighed.

"Ah um...tomorrow after school?" When Ayano spoke it can out more like a question.

"Here after school? Or your place? Or my place?" Shintaro continued to question her.

"Uh...um..." Ayano fiddled with her fingers as she tried thinking of an answer. Her father would never allow her to bring a boy home and she was too nervous to go to his home. "Here after school!" She blurted out.

Shintaro shrugged. "Alright then. I'll met you here after school tomorrow."

"Okay," Ayano said.

The teacher looked at the clock and sighed. "Class dismissed," he waved his hand, dismissing everyone.

Ayano stood up and gathered her things. She glanced at Shintaro who swung his bag over his shoulder. Without thinking, she called out to him. "Sh-Shintaro!"

He stopped by the doorway and glanced at her over his shoulder. "What?" He spoke coldly.

Ayano grew nervous and gulped. "I-I'll see you tomorrow," she managed a smile.

Shintaro sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, yeah. See ya!" He waved at her and walked out.

Ayano smiled to herself. "At least he said bye," she said to herself and walked out of the classroom. As she walked towards her house, she was smiling to herself. Despite the fact that Shintaro was harsh to her, he was still going to help her. Then again its only because the teacher told him to. Though Ayano knew that deep down, Shintaro is a nice guy.

A/N: Yes! I finished writing this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Paper Crane: Uncertain**

The school bell rung, signaling the end of the school day. Everyone rushed out of the school building though some stayed for club activities. Ayano stood up and left her stuff as she headed towards another classroom. She walked through the deserted hallway, passing by many classrooms. She stopped once she had found a certain classroom.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. The door was ajar and Ayano peeked to see if anyone was there. She saw two desks with a girl who had dark hair tied in pigtails with silver headphones on at one of the desk and the other desk with a dark haired boy who was happily drawing on his notebook. In front of them was a large teacher's desk with open books, notebooks, and all other things that littered the desk. A picture sat on it as well, facing the two students. It was a picture of Ayano's family. Though no one say at the desk.

Ayano opened the door a bit wider and spoke. "Uh does one of you know where the teacher is?" She asked.

The boy turned around and smiled at her. His dark eyes sparkling with happiness. "Yeah," he said then poked the girl next to him. "Takane, there's a girl asking about Tateyama sensei."

The girl next to him removed her headphones and glared at him then faced her. Ayano tensed as she saw her glare-like gaze. "He's probably in the bathroom or something."

"Ah! Thanks!" Ayano said then looked down at the floor feeling nervous. She had to wait for him.

"Are you his kid?" The girl asked.

Ayano looked at her and nodded. "Y-yes! I'm Ayano Tateyama! Nice to meet you."

"I'm Haruka Kokonose!" The boy cheered and smiled widely.

"Calm down Haruka," the girl growled then sighed and focused her gaze on Ayano. "I'm Takane Enomoto."

"Ah so you two are my father's students," Ayano smiled. "He talks a lot about you two."

Haruka smiled at Takane. "See, he is proud of us."

"Shut up," Takane snapped.

"You two are third years, right?" Ayano asked.

Haruka nodded. "Yes."

"Then I guess we're just a year apart," Ayano smiled.

"Sure," Takane said, obviously unamused.

"Tateyama sensei talks a lot about you, Ayano," Haruka stated, his smile still present.

"Really?" Ayano tilted her head slightly.

"Yeah our shitty teacher is always babbling about how "angelic" his daughter is," Takane added.

Ayano sighed. "Father can be too proud."

"Yeah well he's also shitty," Takane spat.

"Don't mind her. She's just grumpy," Haruka assured as Ayano stiffened.

"Who's shitty, Takane?" A male voice was heard behind Ayano.

"Oh great the shitty teacher has returned," Takane rolled her eyes.

Ayano stepped aside so her father could walk in. He held a stack of papers and lightly hit Takane's head. "At least I know the formulas by memory unlike you."

Takane rubbed her head and glared at him. "That doesn't mean that you're not shitty."

"Hey look! Ayano is here!" Haruka interrupted.

Ayano's father smirks widely and tossed the stack of papers to his desk. He spread his arms out and wrapped them around his daughter tightly. "Ah my sweet little angel!"

"F-father! You're...crushing...me!" Ayano managed to say.

Her father released her and smiled at her. "So what's up?"

"I have to stay after school," Ayano said.

"For what? Is it because you failed your exam?" Her father asked.

Ayano laughed nervously. "Sensei already told you?"

Her father nodded and sighed. "Yes he already did. I'll have to give you more worksheets for you to study with."

"Well that wasn't it anyways! I have to work on a project with a classmate," Ayano explained. "So I might be home late."

"Who's this classmate?" Her father asked seriously.

Ayano laughed nervously. "Just a classmate."

"What's his name?"

"I never said it was a boy."

Takane scoffed. "Tch. Tateyama sensei just let the girl be. She's a teenager."

"You're not a dad, Takane! You don't understand not will you ever know! Maybe Haruka though," Ayano's father spat.

"Let's just not get into this, Takane," Haruka said.

"Whatever," Takane muttered.

"I'll let you off the hook, Ayano," her father sighed. "Just don't do anything that you'll regret."

"I promise I won't, father!" Ayano smiled the. Started walking out. "Bye!" She called out.

"You're late," Shintaro growled as he sat back in his chair with his arms crossed.

Ayano panted. "I...I'm sorry, Shintaro."

"Whatever lets just get started," Shinaro sighed.

Ayano sat down and took out a notebook and pencil. "So what shall we do first?"

"First we find information on it," Shintaro informed.

"How?"

"By reading a textbook, idiot."

Ayano but her lip when she heard the insult. "R-right. Sorry."

Ayano searched her bag for a textbook then took out one. She placed it on the desk on top of her open notebook and scanned the pages for information. It was taking time and Shintaro was getting impatient. Shintaro sighed and leaned forward. "It's on this page, idiot," he growled and turned the pages to the right page.

"Sorry," Ayano said.

"Just deal with it, Ayano," Ayano thought.

"Read it from here," Shintaro pointed at a paragraph. "To here."

Ayano sighed and did as told. Her eyes scanned the words, reading them. Once she was finished, she looked up at him. "Now we take notes, right?"

Shintaro nodded. "No shit Sherlock."

Ayano did a tight lipped smile. "Alright then."

She took out her notebook from under the textbook then wrote down the important information. Shintaro did the same. After writing, they both put down their pencils.

"Alright now we just have to thing of what to do. I say we just get some cardboard, print out some of the information, glue it on to it, ten give it to sensei. It's not so hard so even an idiot lien you should handle it," Shintaro explained.

Ayano nodded, ignoring the "idiot" part. "Okay. So uh who's going to buy the supplies?"

"I'll buy the cardboard," Shintaro sighed.

"Then I'll do the rest," Ayano concluded.

"Though we need more information so keep on reading and writing notes," Shintaro said. Ayano nodded and focused her attention on her work. Meanwhile Shintaro just wrote down notes from memory.

As time flew by they both grew tired. The school building was nearly empty and they were basically the last two students in the building. The only ones there besides them was the staff. No other student was present. Just those two and the staff in the building.

"I say we should call it a day," Shintaro said and stretched.

Ayano nodded. "Yes. It's getting late."

They gathered their stuff and walked out of the school building. As they walked, Shintaro walked alongside her which puzzled her. Ayano looked up at him. "Um I can walk by myself..."

"The bus stop is this way," Shintaro explained.

"Ah! Sorry!" Ayano felt like an idiot.

They continued walking in silence and eventually arrived at the bus stop. "Well this is goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow, Shintaro," Ayano smiled at him.

Shintaro merely shrugged. "Sure. See ya."

Ayano sighed and walked past him. It did bother her that he's so harsh to her but she couldn't do anything about it. She only walked away, hoping that one day he'll treat her differently.

"Did you walk her home?"

Shintaro sighed as he dropped his bag and entered the living room. "Momo won't are you asking me this?"

"Because I want to know. You did say that you would," Shintaro's younger sister replied.

"I only walked to the bus stop. I didn't feel like walking her home," Shintaro explained.

Momo smirked. "But you don't usually take the bus so you still wanted to her walk with her."

"Shut up," Shintaro sighed.

"She is pretty and she's nice! She's the daughter of my tutor, Tateyama sensei," Momo smiled.

"Oh look, my fucks~," Shintaro spoke sarcastically.

"Big brother you're an ass," Momo puffed out her cheeks. She leaned on the edge of the couch that she was sitting on and gazed at her older brother.

"What do you want?" Shintaro snapped.

Momo smirked. "You like her."

"No I don't!"

"Yeah you do. Unless you were just being nice yet stubborn as well," Momo shrugged.

"You're an idiot. I just felt like riding the bus," Shintaro flicked her forehead.

Momo rubbed her forehead. "You're in denial."

"Whatever. I'm going to my room," Shintaro walked to his room and closed the door. He sat on a chair by his desk and sighed.

He wasn't sure whether he was being nice or had an interest in the girl. Either way he didn't bother to think about it took much. Though he was uncertain about his reason.

The genius for once didn't have an answer.

A/N: I finally decided to stop procrastinating and finish this chapter! I hope you all liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Paper Crane: Bonding**

"Ah um sorry to bother you Shintaro but um...," Ayano whispered to him as she couldn't understand the work that had been given to them.

Shintaro let out a sigh. "Honestly you don't understand anything."

"I'm not so smart so it can't be helped," Ayano chuckled as she tried to ignore his comment.

He leaned closer to her so he could explain the work to her. She leaned a bit closer to him so she could hear him correctly. Both of them were close and their shoulders touched. They didn't notice it yet though. Shintaro simply explained the work to Ayano while she listened.

He explained it as if a child could easily solve it though also tried his best to make it easier for her to understand. Ayano listened to him though eventually zoned out as she started to think about how nice it was for him to help her. Even if he said rude comments, he was still nice to her. She appreciated it. Despite how harsh he was to her, she still knew that there was something good about him.

"You understand it now?" Shintaro asked.

"Huh? Ah! Y-yeah! Thanks!" Ayano lied.

Shintaro sighed. "You didn't pay attention."

"Huh?! N-no I did!" Ayano tried to convince him but it was obvious that she was lying. She fiddled with her fingers and avoided eye contact.

"You're a terrible liar," Shintaro stated.

Ayano's shoulders slumped. She knew that it was no use. She was bad at lying. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she squeaked.

Shintaro let out a sigh. "It's fine."

"A-Alright." Ayano felt uneasy.

"I'll explain one more time, okay?" Shintaro gave her a cold stare.

A shiver ran down Ayano's spine as she noticed how cold his stare was. She quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah. Thank you."

"Whatever," Shintaro muttered. He once again explained the work to her. This time Ayano forced herself to listen to him even if she didn't really understand what he was saying. Most of his words sounded foreign to her which made her feel idiotic and uneasy. He spoke concisely though to her, it was all gibberish.

"Do you get it now?" Shintaro asked and looked at her with a bored expression as he released a sigh. Ayano quickly debated whether she should lie or not. Obviously she didn't understand it all. She was just slow at understanding what her teachers would teach. Thus, she'd have to take summer classes and her father would tutor her.

Ayano opened her mouth a bit to say something but Shintaro cut her off by saying, "You are such an idiot. Or are you just really slow?" Ayano chuckled nervously. She averted her eyes from him and played with the end of her red scarf. Shintaro sighed in frustration. "Why am I even bothering?"

"S-Sorry!" Ayano quickly said. Shintaro shook his head.

"Listen, if you don't want to have summer classes then you _have_ to understand this stuff. It isn't even hard. You're just _really_ slow." Shintaro spoke firmly and Ayano nodded. "I'll help you just for a bit." Ayano's eyes lit up hearing his words.

"Really?" Ayano asked, cheerfully. Shintaro nodded. "Thank you, Shintaro!" She flashed him a cheerful smile. Shintaro averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

"Let's just get this over with," Shintaro muttered.

The students in the classroom adjusted their desks as lunch had begun. Many stayed in the classroom and ate with their friends while other ate in other classrooms or outside. Most had their own lunch while others bought lunch in the school. Usually, Ayano would join her father or she'd simply stay in the classroom and eat by herself. Though seeing him get up from his seat and approach the door by himself made her think of one idea.

Ayano quickly and carefully made her way towards him into the hallway while carrying her lunch in her hands. She quickened her pace to catch up to him and called out, "Sh-Shintaro!" The male stopped abruptly and turned to see who had called out to him. He had his hands in his pockets and a blank expression present on his face. He stared at her with no emotion.

"What?" He spoke coldly. Ayano took a deep breath.

"H-How about we eat lunch together?" She suggested and smiled. Shintaro was silent for a moment but eventually shrugged.

"Sure."

Ayano smiled brightly and walked alongside him. Ayano sighed in relief. "_That was nerve wrecking_," she thought. They walked in silence and many thoughts ran through her head. _Why did he say yes? Maybe he wants to be friends? Or he just wanted to be nice? What are we going to talk about? -_

"Hey idiot." Shintaro spoke bluntly.

"Huh? Th-that's not nice, Shintaro." Ayano said. Why was he so harsh to her?

"Sorry but you weren't listening and you are an idiot." Shintaro shrugged.

"That's still not nice." Ayano frowned.

"Well sorry. Anyways, I said that I was going to buy a soda," Shintaro stated.

"Oh okay." Ayano held her lunch tightly.

They approached the vending machines that sat in the small patio near their school. Trees and small tables decorated the area. Two vending machines stood next to each other side by side. One was for snacks and the other was for sodas. Shintaro placed in the right amount of money and pushed a button.

Ayano admired their surroundings. The patio was pretty, especially in the spring. The breeze was fresh, the trees provided shade, and the tables were mostly empty due to students mainly eating inside. Ayano looked at the ground and bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure where to eat lunch or even what to talk about.

"Here." Ayano looked up at him and he tossed her a drink.

"oh you didn't have to." Ayano said and caught the drink. Shintaro shrugged. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"So uh where do you want to eat lunch at?" Ayano asked.

"Here is fine." Shintaro shrugged and went to take a seat at one of the nearby tables. Ayano nodded and followed him. "It isn't crowded here." Shintaro muttered. Ayano nodded in agreement. She watched him uncap the bottle and noticed that he didn't have any kind of lunch except for a soda.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Ayano queried.

"I'm not really hungry." Shintaro spoke bluntly.

"Are you sure? I don't mind sharing." Ayano offered as she opened her lunchbox.

"Yeah, it's fine," Shintaro assured.

"Okay then." Ayano sighed and began eating. Silence fell between them. It was awkward for both of them. Shintaro would casually take sips of the dark carbonated drink whilst Ayano silently ate. Finally, Shintaro cleared his throat.

"So how come you're always wearing a red scarf?" He questioned before taking another sip of his soda.

"Oh um well it's a habit that I developed when I was younger in order to cheer up some kids. It was my mother's idea," Ayano explained and smiled as a few nostalgic memories were evoked.

"Doesn't it get hot and bothersome wearing that?" Shintaro raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I'll admit that sometimes it does but I don't really mind." Ayano laughed a bit.

"Of course you wouldn't mind." Shintaro sighed.

"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?" Ayano asked and tilted her head slightly.

"Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it," Shintaro assured.

"Okay..." Ayano shrugged it off and finished her lunch.

"Should we head back to class?" Shintaro looked at her.

"I guess we should. It wouldn't be so great if we were late." Ayano sighed and closed her lunchbox. They stood up and Shintaro tossed the empty soda bottle into the trash can. They silently walked together to their classroom. "Thanks for letting me join you." Ayano spoke up and smiled at him.

"No problem." Shintaro avoided eye contact.

"So uh are you going to tutor me after school or..." Ayano's sentence trailed off and she waited for a response from him.

"Well I have nothing better to do. Also we still have to work on that project," Shintaro reminded.

"Ah! That's right! I almost forgot!" Ayano exclaimed.

"Idiot," Shintaro muttered.

"W-Well, we'll work on both!" Ayano spoke determinedly and smiled.

"Whatever you say." Shintaro shrugged. He watched her stroll into the classroom with her warm and friendly smile present on her face. Something about her simply caught his attention. Whether it was because of her personality or how stupid she was, he wasn't sure. Once again, the genius didn't have an answer.

"So what shall we start with?" Ayano asked, eagerly.

"Let's just start with the tutoring first," Shintaro replied as he took out a notebook. Ayano did the same. "Okay then. I'll explain to you the formulas first."

"Okay!" Ayano nodded. She listened carefully to his explanation though some of it was still confusing but she tried her best to understand his explanation. In the end, she only understood half of what he was teaching her. Shintaro sighed in frustration.

"This isn't hard. You just have to try." He poked her forehead with the eraser of his mechanical pencil. Ayano puffed out her cheeks.

"I _am_ trying!" Ayano argued.

"Well then try harder! Okay, tell me what is it that you're not getting." Shintaro stared at her coldly while waiting for a response.

"Um well...like half of it." Ayano admitted while averting her gaze to everything else but him. Shintaro sighed.

"I'll explain it again and even give you a few examples. You just have to listen closely." Shintaro frowned and took a deep breath. Once he started explaining again, Ayano blocked out distractions and listened to him. It took them quite some time before finishing their tutoring session. Shintaro was still frustrated but he had taught her at least a bit. Ayano felt bad for upsetting him though.

"Let's just do some of the project now then go home," Shintaro muttered.

"Okay." Ayano nodded.

"Bye Shintaro! I'll see you tomorrow!" Ayano waved at the male as she started to walk away. Shintaro waved back without saying a word. Ayano smiled to herself as she approached her home. She was feeling quite delighted as she had gotten at least a bit closer to the male.

As she took out her keys from her bag, she thought about one thing, he was being nice to her even if it was just a small bit of kindness hidden by mean comments. She unlocked the door and walked inside. "I'm home!" Ayano called out as she locked the door and removed her shoes. Silence. Ayano quitely walked around, in search for her father. "Dad?" Ayano called out again.

"Listen I'll pay you back as soon as I can."

Ayano froze hearing her father's voice. _Who was he talking to?_

"I better get my money soon, Kenjirou. You owe me."

An unfamiliar deep voice.

"Y-Yes. Now go! My daughter is home."

coming out of the kitchen was a tall man. His hair was dark yet his skin was pale. His eyes were an unusual color though - red. He gave Ayano an eerie smile. "Hello. You must be Ayano, Kenjirou's kid. I'm Kuroha, pleasure to meet you." He forcefully shook Ayano's hand.

"H-Hello...sir." Ayano was quite frightened by the man.

"I've heard a lot about you from your father." The man said.

"I believe that you were leaving." Kenjirou's voice was heard.

"Ah yes. I was just greeting your lovely daughter here." The man released ayano's hand.

"Well goodbye."

The two watched the man leave. "Don't forget our deal, Kenjirou."

"I won't."

Ayano stood by her father in silence. She was processing what had happened. She felt confusion fill her head. "Ayano?"

"Hm?"

"Go to your room."

"Oh yes, father."

Ayano obediently went to her room. She dropped her bag and sighed. Whoever that man was, he didn't seem safe to be around. Ayano distracted herself by remembering her progress with a certain male. At least her bond with Shintaro had improve.

Soon enough, their bond will grow stronger.

**A/N: I apologize for the delay! I suffered from Writer's Block. I'm so sorry! I hope you enjoyed this chapter though! Artwork does not belong to me! Credit goes to artist!**


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